Texas A&M Opens as Slight Favorites vs. LSU Tigers

Texas A&M travels to the Bayou this weekend to take on LSU, but not many experts are giving the away team much love.

After the Aggies barely survived a game on the road against the Razorbacks, many outlets have concerns about the defense after giving up over 40 points against a team that hasn’t had an identity all season.

Even with A&M pulling out the 45-42 victory, coach Mike Elko has his program sitting at 7-0 for the first time since 1994, now controlling their own destiny to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, Georgia.

As for LSU, coach Brian Kelly had dug his program into a hole after losing 31-24 on the road to Vanderbilt, which means they are in deep trouble, risking a chance to return to the players with another loss after dropping its other game to Ole Miss.

Aggies 2.5-Point Favorites vs Tigers

Jaylen Henderson throws a pass against LSU. — Nov 25, 2023; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Jaylen Henderson (16) passes the ball against the LSU Tigers during the first half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

According to the ESPN Matchup predictor, the Aggies currently have a 51.9 percent chance of snagging another pivotal win on the road, being 2.5-point favorites. As the week continues, the numbers will likely change, but as it is now, the Aggies have a better bettingnchance than the Tigers do.

On Sunday, the most recent AP Poll rankings got announced, and A&M moved up to No. 3 in the nation after No. 2 Miami dropped its game on the road to Louisville.

Since the loss helped, it may be part of the reason that the odds are currently in favor of A&M. Since joining the SEC though, A&M hasn’t won in Death Valley which is going to be extremely hard this time around now that LSU is playing with its backs against the wall, needing a win to turn around its season after sliding down in the latest rankings.

In 2024, LSU travelled to College Station, Texas, where it was a blackout game at Kyle Field. There was a quarterback controversy that ended in Marcel Reed winning the starting job over Conner Weigman for the rest of the 2024 season. At halftime, A&M was trailing but had an insane comeback that ended in a 38-23 win that sparked momentum for Elko’s players.

The most recent trip to Tiger Stadium for the Aggies didn’t go well in 2023, with a 42-30 loss led by QB Jayden Daniels, who had four touchdowns, against QB Jaylen Henderson, who threw for 294 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

Kickoff between A&M and LSU will begin at 6:30 p.m. on ABC.